Sanitation facilitating sleeping garment for infants



J; WHEELOCK SANITATION FACILITATING SLEEPING GARMENT FOR INFANTS Filed July 26, 1954 United States Patent T SANITATION FACILITATING SLEEPING GARMENT FOR INFANTS Juanita K. Wheelock, Detroit, Mich.

Application July 26, 1954, Serial No. 445,695

1 Claim. (Cl. 283) This invention relates to an article of bed or crib clothing or apparel for retention of coverlet or blanket values, with minimum disturbance of the child, when sanitary attention may be required.

This invention has utility when incorporated in a sleeping bag type of blanket, with marked departure therefrom in having such configured as a garment, with such area of front access thereto, when the child occupant of the garment be therein, that ample exposure is readily had, with the child on its back and in the garment. The limbs and lower torso have such clearance in the roomy interior of the garment, that there is no occasion to shift the child body chest or upper portions, to the end that a sleeping child may not be awakened.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a layout of blanks for the article of apparel as to one embodiment thereof;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the made-up garment, with the right sleeve swung back, to show the slide fastener course at the right side of the garment, as extending to mid-front;

Fig. 3 is a front view, or top of the complete garment, a portion of the right sleeve being broken away; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary, reduced scale showing of the open front or top, the upper portion of the garment being broken away.

A suitable sheet material for the construction of the garment of this invention is a soft fieecy cloth material, such as a blanket material, which is not irritating to the touch and is comfortable to sleepin and on. It is not in usual practice made up of heavy material and accordingly is not a burden upon the child equipped with this article of slumber clothing.

Torso back and lower limbs blank 2 is associated with a front lower limbs and abdomen covering blank 3, upward from which is a pair of chest covering blanks 4. Sleeve blanks 5, foot bottom blanks 6, collar 7, and crotch 8, show the ten blanks for completing the garment.

For assembly, stitching 9 may close the sleeves into tubular form, with shoulder stitching 10 to the blanks 2, 4, as pre-assembled by over-the-shoulder stitching 11. Stitching 12 assembles the collar 7 with the blanks 4, 2, 4. Seams 13 or stitching locate the foot bottoms 0r soles 5 with the ends of the leg portions of the blanks 2, 3. Stitching 14 positions the crotch 8 in assembly with the blanks 2, 3. From the foot tip regions stitching 15 extend to the crotch 8 and there have the stitchings 14 complete closure connections therebetween. Stitch ings 16 mount a snap closure tape 17 at the mid front section of a chest element 4. The complementary chestcompleting section 4 has stitching 18 mount a complementary snap section 19. These tapes thus provide from the neck collar 12 front opening a snap on and off ready closure extending to a junction 20 approximately downward from the shoulder stitchings 11 to the region r 2,849,718 Patented Sept. 2, 1958 of the arm pits 21, where the stitchings 10 have junction with the stitchings 9.

General stitching for the garment includes from the arm pits 21, stitchings 22 to downward ends 23 of the chest sections 4 in assembling the under-arm portions of these sections '4 with the upper portion of the back 2.

The flaring-out of the front sections 4 approximate a general waist region for the garment. From adjacent the foot tip regions or foot 'bottoms 6 stitchings 13, along the outer sides of the leg portions of the garment, stitchings 24 extends toward and in approximate alignment with the stitchings 22, but stop short of junction therewith, as these stitchings 24 end in the vicinity of the crotch 8 at regions 25.

Stitching 26 assembles a slide closure tape course section 27 with the back 2 for this course to be an aligned continuation of the stitchings 24, 22, in spanning therebetween, and then in continuity arcing away at the region 23 as stitching 28 carries this course assembled with chest section 4 to the junction 20 in approximate alignment a complementary course 27 from the other side of the front of this slumber garment.

A junction is provided at the region 25 by stitching 29 assembling slide closure tape complementary course 30 to the course 27 as in continuity on the garment section 3 to a front medial limit region 31 in approximate alignment with a complementary tape course as to direction from the other side of the front of the garment.

With the front lower or abdominal covering portion open or down as shown in Fig. 4, a slide fastener 32 may be at stop 25 at the outer edge region on each side of the front of the thus-opened garment. In dotted lines (Fig. 4) there is shown a portion of the torso and lower limbs of an infant 33 exposed for diaper change, as excreta or urine may necessitate attention. As the service is rendered, each slide 32 smootly rides in ,a smooth fully-closing way in joining the courses 27, 30 as the 12 pair of zipper slides eifect inter-hook locking alignment between the junctions 25 and 20.

The plane of the elements 27, 30 is perpendicular to the two parallel planes of the seam ends 23, 25, but the extension of these seams are joined together through a three dimensional arc extending from each side of the garment up and over the front of the garment on the wearer. However, the flexible character of the fabric allows for identical length complementary course tapes. While actually there is a twist in the direction to be taken by the slides in transit'from the approximately straight sides 25, 23, the transition is smooth and of such continuity as not to clog in rounding away from the ends 23 and as thereby oriented to ride to the junction 20. For the reverse or garment opening travel, the pull action on the slide 32 is not impeded.

The front connection 16, 17, 18, 19 is a snap placket, the opening of which permits introduction of the infants head to protrude thru the neck region of the collar 7.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

An infants sleeping garment having an upper body covering portion and a lower body covering portion, the upper portion having a neck opening formed therein and a pair of sleeves attached thereto, the lower portion of the garment being provided with a pair of leg and foot covering portions, the back of the garment being formed as a seamless continuous piece of material, the lower ends of which form a part of the foot portions of the garment, the front of the garment being provided with a continuous arcuate opening with means for closing the edges of said opening, said opening extending from the outer side of one leg portion upwardly in a continuous arc 3 across the chest covering portion and downwardly to the outer side of the other leg portion, th'e'end's' of the'sai'd opening being substantially at the crotch level of the garment, and a placket closure extending in the chest portion from the top of the said arcuate ope'ningto' the neck line of the garment.

1,145,855 Wise July 6, 1915 4, Emery July 25, 1916 Thomas Feb. 10, 1925 Herskowitz Dec. 2, 1930 Astrove Aug. 4, 1942 Haman Nov. 21, 1950 Sillaway Dec. 11, 1951 Williamson Nov. 23, 1954 

